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The Moorstone Sickness
After the death of their infant son, Hal and Rowan Graham decide to leave the mad bustle of London and move to a quiet country refuge. And the rustic village of Moorstone seems perfect. Too perfect . . . ? Lying beneath a hill capped by an enormous stone, Moorstone hides mysterious secrets. Why does such a small town need such a large insane asylum? Why do the village’s elderly residents leave everything they own to young newcomers they barely know? And why is everyone so friendly, so handsome, and so preoccupied with Hal and Rowan’s health?
Before the Grahams can piece the insidious puzzle together, they are plunged into a spiralling terror of ancient mysteries reborn, people who are not quite what they seem, and a village that is quaint, charming – and deadly!
When it comes to spine-chilling tales of quiet horror, no one surpasses Bernard Taylor, the bestselling author of the classic novels The Godsend and Sweetheart, Sweetheart. This edition of The Moorstone Sickness (1982) features a new introduction by Mark Morris.
CONTEMPORARY REVIEWS
‘A fine atmosphere of terror’ – New York Times
‘Reaches its horrifying climax with seductive grace’ – Library Journal
‘Slow-building occult horror’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘His fiction grips and holds the reader . . . Taylor is a master’ – Publishers Weekly
Before the Grahams can piece the insidious puzzle together, they are plunged into a spiralling terror of ancient mysteries reborn, people who are not quite what they seem, and a village that is quaint, charming – and deadly!
When it comes to spine-chilling tales of quiet horror, no one surpasses Bernard Taylor, the bestselling author of the classic novels The Godsend and Sweetheart, Sweetheart. This edition of The Moorstone Sickness (1982) features a new introduction by Mark Morris.
CONTEMPORARY REVIEWS
‘A fine atmosphere of terror’ – New York Times
‘Reaches its horrifying climax with seductive grace’ – Library Journal
‘Slow-building occult horror’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘His fiction grips and holds the reader . . . Taylor is a master’ – Publishers Weekly
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
21 people are currently reading
844 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Taylor
103 books93 followersBernard Taylor was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, and now lives in London. Following active service in Egypt in the Royal Air Force, he studied Fine Arts in Swindon, then at Chelsea School of Art and Birmingham University. On graduation he worked as a teacher, painter and book illustrator before going as a teacher to the United States. While there, he took up acting and writing and continued with both after his return to England. He has published ten novels under his own name, including The Godsend (1976), which was adapted for a major film, and Sweetheart, Sweetheart (1977), which Charles L. Grant has hailed as one of the finest ghost stories ever written. He has also written novels under the pseudonym Jess Foley, as well as several works of nonfiction. He has won awards for his true crime writing and also for his work as a playwright. It was during his year as resident playwright at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch that he wrote The Godsend. There Must Be Evil, his latest true crime study, is to be published in England in September.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
January 11, 2019
Hal and Rowan flee the big city of London to settle in the beautiful, placid, and exceedingly friendly village of Moorstone; disturbing undercurrents eventually become stronger & stronger, and the almost-happy couple find that things are murky indeed beneath the town's lovely surface. there are some intriguing things going on under the surface of this novel as well: Bernard steeps his small bag of precisely-drawn yet often ambiguously sympathetic characters into the opaque waters of immortality to see what particular flavors will rise to the surface. who wants immortality and what price are you willing to pay for it? think not on such things - 'tis a sickness of both body and soul that you contemplate. 'tis the Moorstone Sickness!
there are no surprises here, neither in the supernatural mystery itself nor in what flavors come to dominate by the end. still, despite showing its hand (inadvertently? hard to tell) so early that most of the suspense is stripped away, the book is a good one. polished and elegant prose, an often enigmatic narrative, interesting characterization, a well-developed background for the mystery, and a tone that is dryly straightforward but also hits notes of an almost grim melancholy, laced with a subtlely acidic wit. Taylor is a more than competent author and is distinctly underrated. if you are the sort who likes your horror to be restrained, thoughtful, and horrific in a quietly brooding way, then he is the author for you. overall I preferred Sweetheart, Sweetheart but this was still an intriguing and atmospheric experience.
there are no surprises here, neither in the supernatural mystery itself nor in what flavors come to dominate by the end. still, despite showing its hand (inadvertently? hard to tell) so early that most of the suspense is stripped away, the book is a good one. polished and elegant prose, an often enigmatic narrative, interesting characterization, a well-developed background for the mystery, and a tone that is dryly straightforward but also hits notes of an almost grim melancholy, laced with a subtlely acidic wit. Taylor is a more than competent author and is distinctly underrated. if you are the sort who likes your horror to be restrained, thoughtful, and horrific in a quietly brooding way, then he is the author for you. overall I preferred Sweetheart, Sweetheart but this was still an intriguing and atmospheric experience.
July 1, 2020
Moorstone seems to be the perfect little town. However, ominous hints and disturbing occurrences ruffle the blanket of serenity. A young couple looking for a quiet life learn that all that is tranquil is not as innocent as it appears. Slyly menacing, this story will lure you to the edge of a nightmare that may alter your life interminably.
March 1, 2024
What I like best about Taylor concerns how he manages to build such ominous tension and suspense in his tales, and that is exemplified here. Few authors could pull off what Taylor did here, since almost from the beginning of the novel you kinda know what will happen yet he still managed to keep me on the edge of my seat throughout.
The story centers on Hal and Rowan, a young couple from London who relocate to the small town of Moorstone, named due to some ancient stones on a hill outside town supposedly akin to Stonehenge in their provenance. Hal and Rowan managed to score an old, funky but really nice house in town for a song. Rowan in particular wanted to escape London, born a country gal herself, and after their young son was killed, the city held no attraction for her whatsoever. Hal, hoping the move would relieve Rowan of her depression since the accident, gamely goes along; he is an author and can write anywhere after all. (Author as a main character-- ugh!!)
Shortly before they arrive in town to move into their new house, they almost run down an old woman on the road; Hal goes after her and witnesses her suicide. WTF? He recognized her from Moorstone from his last visit, but she did not recognize him. Right off the bat we know something is hinky, and that only gets worse as the story progresses. Everything seems a little too perfect, the townies a little too friendly, too good looking, and too fit to be normal. Hal has some inklings something is hinky, but just cannot put his finger on it. Hal and Rowan meet another recent 'immigrant' to the town and she also has a bad feeling about it, and is waiting with baited breath for her husband to get back from Saudi Arabia so she can leave...
The tension builds and clearly, the servants (house and groundkeeper) have some plot going on and really do not care for Hal and Rowan. Taylor's smooth prose and excellent pacing make this an enjoyable reading experience, and the 'creep factor' makes it unsettling to say the least. I might have rated this higher except for the author as main character, but still a solid 4 spooky stars!
The story centers on Hal and Rowan, a young couple from London who relocate to the small town of Moorstone, named due to some ancient stones on a hill outside town supposedly akin to Stonehenge in their provenance. Hal and Rowan managed to score an old, funky but really nice house in town for a song. Rowan in particular wanted to escape London, born a country gal herself, and after their young son was killed, the city held no attraction for her whatsoever. Hal, hoping the move would relieve Rowan of her depression since the accident, gamely goes along; he is an author and can write anywhere after all. (Author as a main character-- ugh!!)
Shortly before they arrive in town to move into their new house, they almost run down an old woman on the road; Hal goes after her and witnesses her suicide. WTF? He recognized her from Moorstone from his last visit, but she did not recognize him. Right off the bat we know something is hinky, and that only gets worse as the story progresses. Everything seems a little too perfect, the townies a little too friendly, too good looking, and too fit to be normal. Hal has some inklings something is hinky, but just cannot put his finger on it. Hal and Rowan meet another recent 'immigrant' to the town and she also has a bad feeling about it, and is waiting with baited breath for her husband to get back from Saudi Arabia so she can leave...
The tension builds and clearly, the servants (house and groundkeeper) have some plot going on and really do not care for Hal and Rowan. Taylor's smooth prose and excellent pacing make this an enjoyable reading experience, and the 'creep factor' makes it unsettling to say the least. I might have rated this higher except for the author as main character, but still a solid 4 spooky stars!
June 28, 2015
Another great book brought back into print by Valancourt! Bernard Taylor's The Moorstone Sickness is about a young couple, trying to get on with their lives after the death of their young son, by moving away from the city and into a more rural community. Conveniently, just as they are about to give up hope, a chance encounter with a doctor leads them to the quaint area of Moorstone.
Moorstone is everything--and more, that anyone could want. It's a picture perfect town, habited by only beautiful, friendly people, where everyone helps each other out. Oh, and outsiders don't seem to be welcomed unless invited by a villager, personally. An obvious sign that "something is really wrong here"!
Moorstone had a "Harvest Home" feel to it, although the actions here were much more up front, and the sense of "wrongness" was set from the very first page. The characterization was great (several characters actually made me shiver as I was reading!) This novel was much less subtle than what I was expecting, yet somehow this only intensified my desire to learn more. While some things are openly commented upon, I never expected just how....twisted....the truth really was. The rest, I encourage everyone to read on their own.
Highly recommended!
Moorstone is everything--and more, that anyone could want. It's a picture perfect town, habited by only beautiful, friendly people, where everyone helps each other out. Oh, and outsiders don't seem to be welcomed unless invited by a villager, personally. An obvious sign that "something is really wrong here"!
Moorstone had a "Harvest Home" feel to it, although the actions here were much more up front, and the sense of "wrongness" was set from the very first page. The characterization was great (several characters actually made me shiver as I was reading!) This novel was much less subtle than what I was expecting, yet somehow this only intensified my desire to learn more. While some things are openly commented upon, I never expected just how....twisted....the truth really was. The rest, I encourage everyone to read on their own.
Highly recommended!
Read
June 16, 20153.5 stars
This book may not be the best horror novel ever, but
A) that was creepy and b) the ending, OH GOD!
One very big thing that I came to realize after having finished The Moorstone Sickness is just how very jaded modern horror readers have become. When I got to the end of the novel, I realized that here is a case where you really have to consider just what it is that constitutes your own personal idea of horror. If it's blood, guts and gore splattered everywhere you're after, forget it. Not in this novel. If you need every single detail of what's going on explained to you, you won't find that, either. But if you stop to consider the implications of this story, then it becomes one of the most horrific stories I've ever read. But to tell is to ruin, so I can't really give away any details. I will say, though, that the author of this edition's Introduction, Mark Morris, is spot on when he says that
"To maintain the tension it is important that readers care about the fate of the story's potential victims..."
and this is where Taylor's writing really shines.
This is one of those books where the idea of "sinister" creeps up slowly on the reader, since basically you're reading about two people (Rowan and Hal) who find a great house in a small country village, move there, and discover that everything about the place (Moorstone) is pretty much ideal. I mean, if you've read enough horror fiction, you just know that something is off and that things are just too perfect to be of any good to anyone! As it turns out, I read this in one sitting -- despite the slow pace and the neighborly goodwill of Moorstone's residents, I just knew something awful was going to happen and I was right to be concerned.
The Moorstone Sickness is definitely one worth checking out. I thought about this one for a long, long while after it was all over.
This book may not be the best horror novel ever, but
A) that was creepy and b) the ending, OH GOD!
One very big thing that I came to realize after having finished The Moorstone Sickness is just how very jaded modern horror readers have become. When I got to the end of the novel, I realized that here is a case where you really have to consider just what it is that constitutes your own personal idea of horror. If it's blood, guts and gore splattered everywhere you're after, forget it. Not in this novel. If you need every single detail of what's going on explained to you, you won't find that, either. But if you stop to consider the implications of this story, then it becomes one of the most horrific stories I've ever read. But to tell is to ruin, so I can't really give away any details. I will say, though, that the author of this edition's Introduction, Mark Morris, is spot on when he says that
"To maintain the tension it is important that readers care about the fate of the story's potential victims..."
and this is where Taylor's writing really shines.
This is one of those books where the idea of "sinister" creeps up slowly on the reader, since basically you're reading about two people (Rowan and Hal) who find a great house in a small country village, move there, and discover that everything about the place (Moorstone) is pretty much ideal. I mean, if you've read enough horror fiction, you just know that something is off and that things are just too perfect to be of any good to anyone! As it turns out, I read this in one sitting -- despite the slow pace and the neighborly goodwill of Moorstone's residents, I just knew something awful was going to happen and I was right to be concerned.
The Moorstone Sickness is definitely one worth checking out. I thought about this one for a long, long while after it was all over.
Want to read
September 18, 2017His is a hardcover book from St. Martin's Press.
November 28, 2015
This is my second foray into the mind and writing of Bernard Taylor, English horror/suspense author from the 1970’s onwards. Once again I lament the fact that this author’s works were virtually unknown to me until I was introduced recently to “Sweetheart Sweetheart” (1977) and have now come to love his quiet, unassuming atmospheric and yet highly charged and readable horror delights!!
If you are expecting horror that is full on, extreme, graphic or visceral then perhaps Bernard Taylor’s writing may not be to your taste. However if you enjoy a story that slowly builds with seemingly innocent but possibly disturbing characters then “The Moorstone Sickness” is a delight to be discovered.
Hal and Rowan Graham are moving to the quaint and perfect village of Moorstone (so named because of the enormous stone that overshadows it) They lost their son Adam in tragic circumstances and hope that this change of life and pace will help kindle their relationship and allow a fresh start. Ah yes the perfect village with the perfect country folk; Paul Cassen, who introduced them to “Crispin’s House”, Alison Lucas, also a newcomer to Moorstone, Tom Freeman gardener, Mrs Palfrey housekeeper, Miss Banks the headmistress, Woodson the butcher, large and jolly, Marriatt the vet, with hair at his temples like white wings.....”The smiling beautiful people of Moorstone...And they were beautiful, most of them.”
The author’s style means that the story is slow to build and we follow Hal and Rowan on a daily basis as they become acquainted with village life and are gradually integrated into the social scenes and routines of the villagers. I have to admit I began to find myself a little distracted with events as they unfolded, indeed so slow was the pace at certain points that I thought I might have been in danger of falling asleep before those beautiful residents.....but I need not have feared! This is all part of the charm and elegant writing style of Bernard Taylor, casually leading the reader along in a very nonchalant fashion but ever so expertly pointing him towards an astounding conclusion. The pace and rhythm of the story is akin to an orchestra concerto building to a shattering crescendo and the final pages had me holding my breath as Hal and Rowan were faced with a totally unexpected horror and something that would change the rest of their lives forever.
To say more about the story or to delve deeper into the plot would spoil the wonderful gifts that Bernard Taylor’s writing has to offer to the intelligent horror reader. Once again I find myself awarding this essentially English author a 5 star review and wonder why his writing never received the commercial success it so richly deserved.
If you are expecting horror that is full on, extreme, graphic or visceral then perhaps Bernard Taylor’s writing may not be to your taste. However if you enjoy a story that slowly builds with seemingly innocent but possibly disturbing characters then “The Moorstone Sickness” is a delight to be discovered.
Hal and Rowan Graham are moving to the quaint and perfect village of Moorstone (so named because of the enormous stone that overshadows it) They lost their son Adam in tragic circumstances and hope that this change of life and pace will help kindle their relationship and allow a fresh start. Ah yes the perfect village with the perfect country folk; Paul Cassen, who introduced them to “Crispin’s House”, Alison Lucas, also a newcomer to Moorstone, Tom Freeman gardener, Mrs Palfrey housekeeper, Miss Banks the headmistress, Woodson the butcher, large and jolly, Marriatt the vet, with hair at his temples like white wings.....”The smiling beautiful people of Moorstone...And they were beautiful, most of them.”
The author’s style means that the story is slow to build and we follow Hal and Rowan on a daily basis as they become acquainted with village life and are gradually integrated into the social scenes and routines of the villagers. I have to admit I began to find myself a little distracted with events as they unfolded, indeed so slow was the pace at certain points that I thought I might have been in danger of falling asleep before those beautiful residents.....but I need not have feared! This is all part of the charm and elegant writing style of Bernard Taylor, casually leading the reader along in a very nonchalant fashion but ever so expertly pointing him towards an astounding conclusion. The pace and rhythm of the story is akin to an orchestra concerto building to a shattering crescendo and the final pages had me holding my breath as Hal and Rowan were faced with a totally unexpected horror and something that would change the rest of their lives forever.
To say more about the story or to delve deeper into the plot would spoil the wonderful gifts that Bernard Taylor’s writing has to offer to the intelligent horror reader. Once again I find myself awarding this essentially English author a 5 star review and wonder why his writing never received the commercial success it so richly deserved.
November 10, 2019
Hal and Rowan decide to get away from the bad memories of their London flat and move to the countryside. At first the village of Moorstone offers them the peace and quiet and fresh start they have been looking for. But it soon becomes apparent that there is something sinister going on behind the villagers' friendliness.
Although there will be elements of this story that you have probably read or watched elsewhere, Taylor manages to create something unique with them. Interestingly, the sinister element becomes clear quite early on but it still manages to be captivating story and more about the characters and the details. And the ending was truly chilling and emotional!
Although there will be elements of this story that you have probably read or watched elsewhere, Taylor manages to create something unique with them. Interestingly, the sinister element becomes clear quite early on but it still manages to be captivating story and more about the characters and the details. And the ending was truly chilling and emotional!
January 21, 2016
There's just something so strong, so powerful, about Bernard Taylor's writing. This is my second book by the author and I just loved it!
Taylor's voice just hits me right. He's my kind of horror. There's plenty of sinister atmosphere, a good story, and a depth to the characters. In "The Moorstone Sickness", I was pulled in right from the first page: a stressed out couple leaves hectic London for a quaint village on the moors, to a place recommended to them by a casual encounter with a gentleman at a city cafe. Just a casual, out of the blue chance conversation. . Right there the hairs on my arm stand right up! Oh, this story is so great!.
Although there's no surprise as to what is happening (right from the title and the very first few pages), but Taylor's storytelling draws you right in, and the foreboding dread just keeps you moving right along. Definitely one of my favorites, along with his other book "Sweetheart, Sweetheart" and Thomas Tryon's "Harvest Home".
September 16, 2020
I don’t write reviews.
This is a nice take on the “too good to be true must have a dark secret” small town story. Imagine Rosemary’s Baby meets Harvest Home. This was my first novel from this writer and I plan to read more (Sweetheart Sweetheart is my next choice). He fashioned characters that I didn’t want to succumb to the creepy people. I liked it. Read it on a rainy weekend.
Peace and love to you.
Lizz
This is a nice take on the “too good to be true must have a dark secret” small town story. Imagine Rosemary’s Baby meets Harvest Home. This was my first novel from this writer and I plan to read more (Sweetheart Sweetheart is my next choice). He fashioned characters that I didn’t want to succumb to the creepy people. I liked it. Read it on a rainy weekend.
Peace and love to you.
Lizz
September 9, 2019
5 stars. I really like Taylor's horror novels, and this one, with creepy English villagers, a standing stone, and an unexpected ending, is probably my favorite. It's a quick read that I highly recommend to horror fans.
December 8, 2016
2.5 stars
This is going to be one of those times when I see all the glowing reviews by the majority of other Goodreaders and wonder if we were all reading the same thing!
So, yes - the desperate, bleak awfulness of what becomes of Rowan and Hal at the conclusion of the book is pretty darn powerful, but the lead-up at times left me .. well, kind of bored at times. And there were a few seemingly pointless bits like at one point I thought the villagers were trying to encourage Hal and Rowan to get pregnant, and there was some whole tedious bit about Rowan hurting her wrist. Some of the conversations were akin to watching paint dry. The writing quality wasn't bad by any means but certainly didn't keep me rapt, either. Though I did like the whole creepy English village vibe (see British dark comedy, The League of Gentleman), and the folk-horror element, I didn't care all that much about the protagonists. That said, the climax is truly, horrifically clever, and is the story's saving grace.
This is going to be one of those times when I see all the glowing reviews by the majority of other Goodreaders and wonder if we were all reading the same thing!
So, yes - the desperate, bleak awfulness of what becomes of Rowan and Hal at the conclusion of the book is pretty darn powerful, but the lead-up at times left me .. well, kind of bored at times. And there were a few seemingly pointless bits like at one point I thought the villagers were trying to encourage Hal and Rowan to get pregnant, and there was some whole tedious bit about Rowan hurting her wrist. Some of the conversations were akin to watching paint dry. The writing quality wasn't bad by any means but certainly didn't keep me rapt, either. Though I did like the whole creepy English village vibe (see British dark comedy, The League of Gentleman), and the folk-horror element, I didn't care all that much about the protagonists. That said, the climax is truly, horrifically clever, and is the story's saving grace.
February 6, 2016
This is my second foray into the mind and writing of Bernard Taylor, English horror/suspense author from the 1970’s onwards. Once again I lament the fact that this author’s works were virtually unknown to me until I was introduced recently to “Sweetheart Sweetheart” (1977) and have now come to love his quiet, unassuming atmospheric and yet highly charged and readable horror delights!!
If you are expecting horror that is full on, extreme, graphic or visceral then perhaps Bernard Taylor’s writing may not be to your taste. However if you enjoy a story that slowly builds with seemingly innocent but possibly disturbing characters then “The Moorstone Sickness” is a delight to be discovered.
Hal and Rowan Graham are moving to the quaint and perfect village of Moorstone (so named because of the enormous stone that overshadows it) They lost their son Adam in tragic circumstances and hope that this change of life and pace will help kindle their relationship and allow a fresh start. Ah yes the perfect village with the perfect country folk; Paul Cassen, who introduced them to “Crispin’s House”, Alison Lucas, also a newcomer to Moorstone, Tom Freeman gardener, Mrs Palfrey housekeeper, Miss Banks the headmistress, Woodson the butcher, large and jolly, Marriatt the vet, with hair at his temples like white wings.....”The smiling beautiful people of Moorstone...And they were beautiful, most of them.”
The author’s style means that the story is slow to build and we follow Hal and Rowan on a daily basis as they become acquainted with village life and are gradually integrated into the social scenes and routines of the villagers. I have to admit I began to find myself a little distracted with events as they unfolded, indeed so slow was the pace at certain points that I thought I might have been in danger of falling asleep before those beautiful residents.....but I need not have feared! This is all part of the charm and elegant writing style of Bernard Taylor, casually leading the reader along in a very nonchalant fashion but ever so expertly pointing him towards an astounding conclusion. The pace and rhythm of the story is akin to an orchestra concerto building to a shattering crescendo and the final pages had me holding my breath as Hal and Rowan were faced with a totally unexpected horror and something that would change the rest of their lives forever.
To say more about the story or to delve deeper into the plot would spoil the wonderful gifts that Bernard Taylor’s writing has to offer to the intelligent horror reader. Once again I find myself awarding this essentially English author a 5 star review and wonder why his writing never received the commercial success it so richly deserved.
If you are expecting horror that is full on, extreme, graphic or visceral then perhaps Bernard Taylor’s writing may not be to your taste. However if you enjoy a story that slowly builds with seemingly innocent but possibly disturbing characters then “The Moorstone Sickness” is a delight to be discovered.
Hal and Rowan Graham are moving to the quaint and perfect village of Moorstone (so named because of the enormous stone that overshadows it) They lost their son Adam in tragic circumstances and hope that this change of life and pace will help kindle their relationship and allow a fresh start. Ah yes the perfect village with the perfect country folk; Paul Cassen, who introduced them to “Crispin’s House”, Alison Lucas, also a newcomer to Moorstone, Tom Freeman gardener, Mrs Palfrey housekeeper, Miss Banks the headmistress, Woodson the butcher, large and jolly, Marriatt the vet, with hair at his temples like white wings.....”The smiling beautiful people of Moorstone...And they were beautiful, most of them.”
The author’s style means that the story is slow to build and we follow Hal and Rowan on a daily basis as they become acquainted with village life and are gradually integrated into the social scenes and routines of the villagers. I have to admit I began to find myself a little distracted with events as they unfolded, indeed so slow was the pace at certain points that I thought I might have been in danger of falling asleep before those beautiful residents.....but I need not have feared! This is all part of the charm and elegant writing style of Bernard Taylor, casually leading the reader along in a very nonchalant fashion but ever so expertly pointing him towards an astounding conclusion. The pace and rhythm of the story is akin to an orchestra concerto building to a shattering crescendo and the final pages had me holding my breath as Hal and Rowan were faced with a totally unexpected horror and something that would change the rest of their lives forever.
To say more about the story or to delve deeper into the plot would spoil the wonderful gifts that Bernard Taylor’s writing has to offer to the intelligent horror reader. Once again I find myself awarding this essentially English author a 5 star review and wonder why his writing never received the commercial success it so richly deserved.
August 2, 2025
I just finished The Moorstone Sickness, and wow, it was quick to latch onto me. I liked that is was a quiet, atmospheric kind of horror; building the tension through the setting and characters rather than big scares.
The writing is really strong, the dread creeps in slowly until you’re completely hooked. I was able to figure out what was going on in the village pretty early, but it didn’t ruin anything for me. If anything, it made me even more invested, waiting to see how the characters would piece it all together.
There isn't any over-explaining or flashy twists, the story unfolds naturally, which makes the creeping unease hit even harder. The village itself almost feels alive, and the sense of isolation really amps up the tension.
It’s not a loud, in-your-face kind of horror, but it lingers with you after you finish. For me, this was an easy 4.5 stars.
Beautifully written, unsettling in a quiet way, and a great example of folk horror done right.
The writing is really strong, the dread creeps in slowly until you’re completely hooked. I was able to figure out what was going on in the village pretty early, but it didn’t ruin anything for me. If anything, it made me even more invested, waiting to see how the characters would piece it all together.
There isn't any over-explaining or flashy twists, the story unfolds naturally, which makes the creeping unease hit even harder. The village itself almost feels alive, and the sense of isolation really amps up the tension.
It’s not a loud, in-your-face kind of horror, but it lingers with you after you finish. For me, this was an easy 4.5 stars.
Beautifully written, unsettling in a quiet way, and a great example of folk horror done right.
July 12, 2015
The Moorstone Sickness is another example of an excellent "lost" book deservedly resurrected by the guys at my favorite reissue publisher, Valancourt Books. Until recently, I had not read a whole lot of horror fiction from the late 70s/80s era of genre paperbacks--there was just too much out there at the time, and judging by the tacky cover art, most of it looked awful. But as I've learned (thanks mainly to Valancourt), there were actually quite a few genre diamonds in the rough published at the time, among them the novels of Michael McDowell, Basil Copper, Michael Talbot...and Bernard Taylor. Based on reading this novel, I can say that Taylor is the most subtle of the bunch. Although published at a time when cheap shocks and gory effects were first emerging as standard elements in horror novels and films, The Moorstone Sickness doesn't rely on or even include a single instance of either. Although clearly a horror novel in that we know events will probably turn out to have a supernatural explanation, the emphasis here is on Hitchcockian suspense. As is typical of that director's style, we pretty much know from the get go what's going on, while the main characters--a newly arrived young couple, Rowan and Hal--don't. We learn early on that young people move to a town that seems much too slow and quaint for them, that their personalities change over time and they never want to leave Moorstone, that the town can somehow support its own well-populated mental institution, and that a Stonehenge-style pagan altar looks out over the town from the top of a hill. But the fun of the novel is its ability to keep us guessing how the threads will all tie together. It's not really a spoiler to say that the plot of this novel isn't anything new if you've seen The Wicker Man or read/seen The Dark Secret of Harvest Home, but Taylor writes in such a naturalistic and understated style, does such a nice job concentrating on character over caricature, and evokes such a believably ominous small English village atmosphere, that it all feels fresh. Given Taylor's subtlety here, I'm very much looking forward to reading his haunted house novel, Sweetheart Sweetheart, and his malevolent child novel, The Godsend, both also published by Valancourt. These again sound like retreads of horror themes already done more than once (some might say, to death) elsewhere, but I'm certain that Taylor has done something special with them.
March 20, 2021
The quiet English countryside beckons once again, luring unwary strangers into an ancient trap. After the loss of their son, Hal and Rowan leave the smog of London and by curious accident end up buying a house in a remote village somewhere in Devon. The real estate is cheap, the people are welcoming and even witnessing the suicide of a disturbed old person isn't initially enough to ward off these newcomers eager for a new start. And look, aren't those sprinkles of folk horror floating by in the lovely country air...?
The warning signs keep accumulating, and soon there's a pattern: people move into town, stay with one of the older locals, who quickly goes crazy and is locked up in a mental asylum while the newcomer gives up his previous profession and takes over the old person's house and lifestyle entirely. An actor somehow suddenly became a composer, like his benefactor, and an accountant decided he wanted to become a doctor, like his benefactor, and so on. There's no spoiler here: Taylor telegraphs the situation very early on in this short novel, and still somehow gets away with it.
The Moorstone Sickness is written with beautiful precision and clarity, and there's a pervading atmosphere of bad things to come hanging over the town and the novel throughout. Taylor makes all the right choices in keeping the suspension turned to 11: a notable moment comes early in chapter 1. After witnessing the aforementioned suicide, Hal doesn't tell Rowan about it, and for a while things go on as if nothing had happened, only for problems to seethe under Hal's cool surface.
And the town is so nice it's too nice, the people somehow far too gentle and caring. But then the cracks begin to show and all the friendly smiles don't feel that friendly anymore. All the characters are well written, especially the main characters, but even some of the lesser ones, like Tom the gardener, former man of the world reduced to returning home to a town he hates, whose sorrow in the end feels surprisingly touching, considering the circumstances. Of course the strategy of the townspeople is slightly suspect, as in wouldn't it be easier to lure people who aren't completely different from themselves, but then again we wouldn't have a novel if everything was so simple.
It doesn't really come as a huge surprise that one of the characters in this 1982 novel utters the line "Get out!" at one point, somehow predicting the title of one of the biggest horror films in recent years, which happens to have a fairly similar plot, although both probably share common ancestry in The Stepford Wives (1972). Unlike Jordan Peele and Ira Levin, Taylor opts for a fairly serious approach instead of a satirical one, where the explanation isn't a crazy scientific experiment, but unexplained ancient mysticism and magic as represented by the looming stone from which the town gets its name. The result is a good old-fashioned horror novel, where the overall delivery is more important than all the bells and whistles. The Moorstone Sickness is an excellent, even if a very short novel, by one of the most underrated authors in the horror genre.
The warning signs keep accumulating, and soon there's a pattern: people move into town, stay with one of the older locals, who quickly goes crazy and is locked up in a mental asylum while the newcomer gives up his previous profession and takes over the old person's house and lifestyle entirely. An actor somehow suddenly became a composer, like his benefactor, and an accountant decided he wanted to become a doctor, like his benefactor, and so on. There's no spoiler here: Taylor telegraphs the situation very early on in this short novel, and still somehow gets away with it.
The Moorstone Sickness is written with beautiful precision and clarity, and there's a pervading atmosphere of bad things to come hanging over the town and the novel throughout. Taylor makes all the right choices in keeping the suspension turned to 11: a notable moment comes early in chapter 1. After witnessing the aforementioned suicide, Hal doesn't tell Rowan about it, and for a while things go on as if nothing had happened, only for problems to seethe under Hal's cool surface.
And the town is so nice it's too nice, the people somehow far too gentle and caring. But then the cracks begin to show and all the friendly smiles don't feel that friendly anymore. All the characters are well written, especially the main characters, but even some of the lesser ones, like Tom the gardener, former man of the world reduced to returning home to a town he hates, whose sorrow in the end feels surprisingly touching, considering the circumstances. Of course the strategy of the townspeople is slightly suspect, as in wouldn't it be easier to lure people who aren't completely different from themselves, but then again we wouldn't have a novel if everything was so simple.
It doesn't really come as a huge surprise that one of the characters in this 1982 novel utters the line "Get out!" at one point, somehow predicting the title of one of the biggest horror films in recent years, which happens to have a fairly similar plot, although both probably share common ancestry in The Stepford Wives (1972). Unlike Jordan Peele and Ira Levin, Taylor opts for a fairly serious approach instead of a satirical one, where the explanation isn't a crazy scientific experiment, but unexplained ancient mysticism and magic as represented by the looming stone from which the town gets its name. The result is a good old-fashioned horror novel, where the overall delivery is more important than all the bells and whistles. The Moorstone Sickness is an excellent, even if a very short novel, by one of the most underrated authors in the horror genre.
November 5, 2018
Good ol' fashioned slow burn horror story, originally published in 1981, by the author of The Godsend and Sweetheart Sweetheart. This has a touch of The Stepford Wives and The Wicker Man but with a nasty kick all its own. Recommended for fans of the old school. Valancourt Books has been resurrecting classic genre fiction and out-of-print gay titles in attractive new editions for several years now, showing great taste and discernment—they've also already reprinted several Michael McDowell books and have apparently set in gear the reissue of Craig Jones' Blood Secrets, which I coincidentally just reread and raved about here on GR last week. So viva La Valancourt!
January 5, 2025
Thanks again to Valancourt Books for continuing to reprint these classic 80s horror tales. This was a brisk and breezy 'city folk head to the country and discover something sinister beneath the seemingly perfect facade' kind of tale. Very well told with a lean yet occasionally poetic and thoughtful writing style. Saw the ending from miles away, but that was obviously never the point of this; it's all about the atmosphere. Well done, Bernard!
July 29, 2020
An altogether satisfying and entertaining novella. A slow, slow burn, with an interesting ending. I enjoyed it.
September 30, 2021
As the spooky season rolls on, I just finished this delightful chiller from Bernard Taylor, whose The Reaping I had enjoyed a couple years ago. Here, the plot features a young couple, Rowan and Hal Graham, mourning the death of their infant son, starting over in a new village in England. After Hal witnesses a bizarre suicide (nothing ominous there!) the couple settles down with remarkable ease. The village, Moorstone, is seemingly perfect. Everyone is kind, perhaps too kind, and all the inhabitants are either good looking young people, or once good looking elderly people. And strange things begin to happen, their housekeeper has to return home to care for her suddenly sick sister, the gardener and new housekeeper have secret meetings, and so on. As the story marches on, you just know something is afoot, and you can definitely guess what it is when you are reading it. But that makes the dread and excitement that much more palpable.
Maybe I'm a fool, or have different tastes from the rest of the Goodreads public, but after reading my 2nd Bernard Taylor book I must say that I disagree with the general populace describing his works as "slow." Instead the better word is deliberate. Taylor takes the time to introduce the couple, who are still working through their grief and perhaps miss a clue or ten when taking stock of the village. The frights also don't just come externally. Here he has the reader witness a marriage that is taking a beating for the usual reasons, different goals, lack of communication, shared grief, that when coupled with the outside forces of the village can only exacerbate the issues at hand. My one gripe is that you do kind of see the end game coming. That isn't so much the book's fault, as that same plot device (used entirely differently) is the basis of one of the biggest horror movies to come out of the last decade. In a way, it made it enjoyable to play "spot the differences." Though revealing that movie, sadly spoils this wonderful book.
Maybe I'm a fool, or have different tastes from the rest of the Goodreads public, but after reading my 2nd Bernard Taylor book I must say that I disagree with the general populace describing his works as "slow." Instead the better word is deliberate. Taylor takes the time to introduce the couple, who are still working through their grief and perhaps miss a clue or ten when taking stock of the village. The frights also don't just come externally. Here he has the reader witness a marriage that is taking a beating for the usual reasons, different goals, lack of communication, shared grief, that when coupled with the outside forces of the village can only exacerbate the issues at hand. My one gripe is that you do kind of see the end game coming. That isn't so much the book's fault, as that same plot device (used entirely differently) is the basis of one of the biggest horror movies to come out of the last decade. In a way, it made it enjoyable to play "spot the differences." Though revealing that movie, sadly spoils this wonderful book.
April 29, 2016
Another young couple leave their stressful city life for a too-good-to-be-true country house, only to find themselves in the middle of an 80's horror novel. I never grow tired of this trope. If the male protagonist is an author, which is often the case, so much the better. A generic academic works too, as long as the wife is sad and/or melancholic. Throw in some creepy villagers and I'm in.
This 1982 story, another great Valancourt pick, is particularly satisfying . There is hardly any violence, and the monsters are human, but the atmosphere is supremely creepy. It is obvious early on what's going on, but it doesn't detract from the suspense. The author and his sad wife are not annoyingly stupid, they just don't know they've stepped into a nightmare where sweet elderly villagers collect your finger nail clippings. The ending: horrifying.
This 1982 story, another great Valancourt pick, is particularly satisfying . There is hardly any violence, and the monsters are human, but the atmosphere is supremely creepy. It is obvious early on what's going on, but it doesn't detract from the suspense. The author and his sad wife are not annoyingly stupid, they just don't know they've stepped into a nightmare where sweet elderly villagers collect your finger nail clippings. The ending: horrifying.
November 25, 2015
I really like Taylors books but this one just made me old-people-phobic which is a strange after taste for a book. I can't quit Bernard Taylor
December 12, 2018
Nice surprise!!
My first of this author, after reading all the good hype among the readers who have rediscovered him recently I was already eager to read it. I really enjoyed it! Very recommendable.
It starts a little slow, but quite fast takes a good pace, increasing intrigue, well constructed characters for a book so short, sense of place, ...It's like watching a movie from the late seventies, early eighties, it beams also the quietness of that time (no internet, less stress,...). Overall is a cozy, entertaining book with a plot /story that once grips you, makes you feel like if you're there, needing more and more pages. The end is also well resolved. I'd even bestow it 4,5*.
My first of this author, after reading all the good hype among the readers who have rediscovered him recently I was already eager to read it. I really enjoyed it! Very recommendable.
It starts a little slow, but quite fast takes a good pace, increasing intrigue, well constructed characters for a book so short, sense of place, ...It's like watching a movie from the late seventies, early eighties, it beams also the quietness of that time (no internet, less stress,...). Overall is a cozy, entertaining book with a plot /story that once grips you, makes you feel like if you're there, needing more and more pages. The end is also well resolved. I'd even bestow it 4,5*.
September 8, 2019
Well written but predictable.
May 4, 2020
Pretty good.
September 10, 2020
Wow! Even though I had a good feeling of what was going to happen, it was still a nice shock at the end.
June 23, 2024
Concluded excellently but, considering how short the book is, too long to get going. No real moments of suspense until about 3/4 way through.
3.4/5
3.4/5
March 19, 2017
I guessed what was going on fairly early into the book, but it's well-written enough to stay engaging until the end.
June 2, 2017
Several months back, Valancourt Books had a sale on some of their ebooks. I've sort of become a Valancourt fanboy, so of course I bought them all, though it's taken me some time to get around to them (story of my life). The Moorstone Sickness was one of those books, and when I was prioritizing my ebook to-read list, I bumped this one up, since I had enjoyed Taylor's Sweetheart, Sweetheart so much.
This book is part of the "Small Town with a Hidden Secret" genre, which is a personal favorite. It's hard to talk much about plots with these kinds of books. The broad overview of the story is familiar -- a young couple is accepted into a small town where the townspeople don't take that kindly to outsiders -- but the story is about discovering that secret.
The story takes a while to get going, which is odd, since I was able to peg the secret by chapter eight (of thirty-two). In that sense, it was frustrating, since I was able to recognize the clues that the main characters couldn't see. It winds up making them look foolish, and affects how sympathetic they are. I may have been inclined to recognize the clues, knowing I was reading a horror novel, but they seemed to be too obvious.
In addition, the characterization feels a little thin, even though Taylor focuses his attention on Hal and Rowan, the couple. By the end of the story, I felt the connection to them to respond appropriately, but up until then, it felt like they were defined just enough to create a conflict to feed the main plot. The good news is that the mystery -- the us vs. them mentality of the main struggle -- was compelling enough to keep me engaged in the story.
Tought the story begins slowly, the final events move quickly, taking us through the bulk of the secret within just a few chapters. It worked well enough -- I had already figured out what the secret was, so it was just a matter of learning the how -- but for such a leisurely beginning, the ending was more like a sprint. I would have liked to have known more about the how, but it wasn't necessary. I'm learning that this gentle kind of horror that Taylor and Charles Grant did so well rarely explains the heart of their horror.
The story was written in the early 1980s, so it's stuck in that time period, which could be a problem for modern readers. A large part of the story relies on the characters not being able to reach one another on the phone, and I wonder if readers who have never been without a cell phone would even understand that part. Sure, we get dropped signals, but our constant connections are so much a part of our culture now that I wonder if they would truly get the limitations of a house phone.
I read this in its ebook edition, and I had issues with the way it was formatted. There were breaks within the chapters, some that indicated a shift in scene, others that were just there. About halfway through, I cracked the code -- if the next paragraph was indented, it wasn't a scene break -- but it was a little frustrating until then. I kept expecting the scene to jump, but it kept on going like nothing had happened.
Overall, I liked this story, even if it wasn't as effective as Sweetheart, Sweetheart. Granted, that is considered to be Taylor's best novel, and it's the one I read first, so I should expect that the rest won't be quite as good. Regardless, his narrative style and methodical pacing works well, and the ending took me by surprise. It's a good read, and a good introduction to the author's works.
This book is part of the "Small Town with a Hidden Secret" genre, which is a personal favorite. It's hard to talk much about plots with these kinds of books. The broad overview of the story is familiar -- a young couple is accepted into a small town where the townspeople don't take that kindly to outsiders -- but the story is about discovering that secret.
The story takes a while to get going, which is odd, since I was able to peg the secret by chapter eight (of thirty-two). In that sense, it was frustrating, since I was able to recognize the clues that the main characters couldn't see. It winds up making them look foolish, and affects how sympathetic they are. I may have been inclined to recognize the clues, knowing I was reading a horror novel, but they seemed to be too obvious.
In addition, the characterization feels a little thin, even though Taylor focuses his attention on Hal and Rowan, the couple. By the end of the story, I felt the connection to them to respond appropriately, but up until then, it felt like they were defined just enough to create a conflict to feed the main plot. The good news is that the mystery -- the us vs. them mentality of the main struggle -- was compelling enough to keep me engaged in the story.
Tought the story begins slowly, the final events move quickly, taking us through the bulk of the secret within just a few chapters. It worked well enough -- I had already figured out what the secret was, so it was just a matter of learning the how -- but for such a leisurely beginning, the ending was more like a sprint. I would have liked to have known more about the how, but it wasn't necessary. I'm learning that this gentle kind of horror that Taylor and Charles Grant did so well rarely explains the heart of their horror.
The story was written in the early 1980s, so it's stuck in that time period, which could be a problem for modern readers. A large part of the story relies on the characters not being able to reach one another on the phone, and I wonder if readers who have never been without a cell phone would even understand that part. Sure, we get dropped signals, but our constant connections are so much a part of our culture now that I wonder if they would truly get the limitations of a house phone.
I read this in its ebook edition, and I had issues with the way it was formatted. There were breaks within the chapters, some that indicated a shift in scene, others that were just there. About halfway through, I cracked the code -- if the next paragraph was indented, it wasn't a scene break -- but it was a little frustrating until then. I kept expecting the scene to jump, but it kept on going like nothing had happened.
Overall, I liked this story, even if it wasn't as effective as Sweetheart, Sweetheart. Granted, that is considered to be Taylor's best novel, and it's the one I read first, so I should expect that the rest won't be quite as good. Regardless, his narrative style and methodical pacing works well, and the ending took me by surprise. It's a good read, and a good introduction to the author's works.
June 10, 2023
What a phenomenally stupid book this is. There’s a fine, ridiculous and enjoyably silly horror novel in this but somehow it’s as if the wholly absurd central premise of the book (which they discovered how exactly? I mean, I often head up to old standing stones with old people so we can see if various rituals might lead to hilarious body swap shenanigans - every full moon I’m dragging eighty year olds up a hill to see what might take on of the off chance) led to an adequate writer being possessed by the world’s dullest pedant
God it’s bad. It’s essentially like if someone wrote Straw Dogs without any of the sensationalism until the last ten minutes, and even then did it in a boring way. And instead of the broiling passions and conflicts of rural life, just had a bunch of slightly tense people having a bit of a moan with all the dramatic tension of an eighties episode of Take The High Road or Emmerdale when it was still a Farm and hadn’t had anything gauche like a plane drop on it
Our hero is kind of insufferable, and it’s a big tell that the author essentially sees his crisis as the one you need to sympathise with not the wife’s. In fact just in case you’re being foolish enough to sympathise with the wife’s pretty reasonable stance of preferring rural living to city life because she doesn’t know that all the locals have mysteriously discovered some sort of body swap ritual, he decides to make her act out of character and sleep with some random character so you can side a bit more with the hero. You don’t mind absurdity in these things if they’re written well but this isn’t. It’s deeply boring and only remembers to be a horror novel until there’s fifty pages to go
Woeful. Not even hilariously bad. Just terrible
God it’s bad. It’s essentially like if someone wrote Straw Dogs without any of the sensationalism until the last ten minutes, and even then did it in a boring way. And instead of the broiling passions and conflicts of rural life, just had a bunch of slightly tense people having a bit of a moan with all the dramatic tension of an eighties episode of Take The High Road or Emmerdale when it was still a Farm and hadn’t had anything gauche like a plane drop on it
Our hero is kind of insufferable, and it’s a big tell that the author essentially sees his crisis as the one you need to sympathise with not the wife’s. In fact just in case you’re being foolish enough to sympathise with the wife’s pretty reasonable stance of preferring rural living to city life because she doesn’t know that all the locals have mysteriously discovered some sort of body swap ritual, he decides to make her act out of character and sleep with some random character so you can side a bit more with the hero. You don’t mind absurdity in these things if they’re written well but this isn’t. It’s deeply boring and only remembers to be a horror novel until there’s fifty pages to go
Woeful. Not even hilariously bad. Just terrible
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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